Fig financiers

Name: Fig financiers
Ingredients: 70 g unsalted butter; 40 g all-purpose flour (50 g for a firmer texture); 60 g whole almonds; 90 g egg whites; 95 g powdered sugar; 1 tablespoon honey; 4 figs; 1 ml cooking oil spray; 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional for dusting)

Dessert - Fig financiers by Emilia D. - Recipia

Fig financiers are small French cakes made with egg whites and almonds, and browned butter gives them a flavor like almond macaroons. The fan-cut figs sit on top, and the centers stay soft when you take them out while they’re barely golden. I serve them cold and leave out the powdered sugar. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 23 minutes. Rest: 14 minutes. Total time: 57 minutes. Servings: 11. About 152 kcal and 3 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

70 g unsalted butter
40 g all-purpose flour (50 g for a firmer texture)
60 g whole almonds
90 g egg whites
95 g powdered sugar
1 tablespoon honey
4 figs
1 ml cooking oil spray
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional for dusting)

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to its lowest setting while you prepare the batter. Wash the figs and leave them to drain in a sieve. 2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, then lower the heat, and cook for 6-7 minutes until it turns slightly golden brown. Let it cool for 3-4 minutes. 3. Grind the almonds with the flour until you have a fine powder. 4. Beat the egg whites with a mixer until stiff. Add the powdered sugar and beat for no more than 1 minute. 5. Pour the cooled butter over the egg whites and mix until smooth. Fold in the honey with a whisk, using upward strokes. 6. Add the almond and flour mixture in three additions, mixing after each one. If you’re not baking right away, cover the bowl and refrigerate it. 7. Lightly grease regular molds with cooking oil spray. If using silicone molds, set them in the wells of a muffin pan; there’s no need to grease them. 8. Cut each fig lengthwise into three pieces. Score each piece at 4 mm intervals without cutting all the way through, then fan out the slices and place one on each financier. 9. Put the pan in the oven and raise the temperature to 190°C. Bake for 15-16 minutes, until the cakes are golden. 10. Take the pan out and set it on a heatproof rack. Leave the cakes in the molds for 10 minutes at room temperature. Dust with the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, if you like.

Notes

For a gluten-free version, replace the 40 g of flour with 40 g of rice flour; these still contain almonds, butter and eggs, so they aren’t nut-free or dairy-free. I serve them cold and leave them undusted, alongside black tea. The figs should be ripe but still firm, so they don’t get crushed when you cut them. With large fruit, the fan covers more of the surface and baking may take a few extra minutes. A coffee grinder finely grinds the almonds; silicone molds sit in a muffin pan and don’t need greasing. Frozen egg whites can be stored in a glass jar that isn’t completely full, then thawed completely before use. When they still seemed soft to me after 16 minutes, I left them in for another 10 minutes; I should have lowered the temperature. The batter can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the baked cakes keep in the fridge for no more than 3 days.